#BEROBIN THE MOVIE

After the death of her friend Robin Williams, comedian Margaret Cho took to the streets with the mantra “Don’t grieve Robin, BE Robin.” What started as Margaret busking on the corner with a bag of socks and a guitar case, rapidly turned into hundreds of musicians, comedians, and homeless advocates spreading food, clothes, money and awareness in an amazing humanitarian street theater experience. The result is this entertaining documentary that not only captures the events, but shares a deeply moving and inspiring story. -Chris Metzler

AND THE MUDSHIP SAILS AWAY (Soshite Dorobune wa Yuku)

Reminiscent of early deadpan comedies by Jim Jarmusch and Wayne Wang films, and made by a crew of four with their families and friends. Indignant slacker Takashi (Kiyohiko Shibukawa) has an attitude. Unfortunately there’s no one but his ancient grandmother (Misao Hirayama, the director’s 96-year-old grandmother) and pleasant friend Shohei (Kaori Iida) to hear Takashi’s apathetic wisecracks in the small city of Otawara, Japan. One day, Yuka (Ayasa Takahashi) appears and announces herself to be his half-sister by their deadbeat father. It doesn’t take long to size up her near-middle-aged unemployed sibling, charging him to take action that sets the film off on a fantastical turn. Prolific character actor Shibukawa shines as lead in this delightful comedy from Tochigi Prefecture film collective Foolish Piggies. Official selection at the film festivals:

ANTI-VALENTINE’S DAY POWER BALLAD SING-A-LONG SHOW

Some of us just can’t stand Valentine’s Day. Fortunately, there is an entire genre of music made just for our pain, and it just happens to also be the most badass music ever: POWER BALLADS. When metal went glam, and glam boys needed radio hits to afford the fancy hair product they'd grown addicted to, they slowed it down a bit for the ladies and created the anthems that would become theme songs for an entire generation. We'll hold lighters in the air and sway, we'll pound our fists at the sky in defiance of those who would dare not love us, and we'll do it all with teased hair and animal print tights on. Featuring the music of Guns 'n Roses, Bon Jovi, Warrant, and more... Hosted by SF’s rock n roll legends LIVE EVIL!

13th ANNUAL BIG LEBOWSKI PARTY

This year’s Big Lebowski Party features a live on stage shadow cast of the film performed by The Bawdy Caste (who do Rocky Horror every month at the Clay), mini bowling, a costume contest and plenty of White Russians. The party is all ages. Doors at 8p, Screening plus shadow cast at 9p. Prizes for creative costumes!

BOOGER RED

A powerful narrative/documentary hybrid, Booger Red follows a fictional veteran reporter (Onur Tukel) as he searches for the truth behind “the worst child sex ring in Texas history” that resulted in life sentences for three people who ran a swingers club. Everyone the reporter interviews are the actual people who were involved including lawyers, witnesses, the accused and the victims. Onur’s irreverent and self-deprecating humor keeps us on the edge of our seat as he uncovers a conspiracy far darker than what is alleged to have happened. -Jennifer junkyard Morris

BUNNY THE KILLER THING

A fun weekend at a snowbound cabin turns to terror when a group of vacationers find themselves under attack by a creature that is half man, half rabbit, and 100% horny. A Finnish homage to the 80’s ‘man in a monster suit’ splatter horror films, this film is made in English, but with a sensibility that can only be from the darkest, coldest region of Scandinavia. Breasts, Bunnies, and Bestiality create a late-night cult-classic in the making. -Bears Fonte

BURIED ABOVE GROUND

Dig deep into the courageous journeys of a group of Americans wrestling with the aftermath of devastating events and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Struggle along with an Army captain back from the Iraq War, as he learns to cope with his inner war wounds and resurface via the bond he forms with his service dog. Relive Hurricane Katrina with an evacuee as she pledges to rebuild her home while she rebuilds herself. Empathize with an addict fighting to stay sober and go back to school after surviving domestic violence. This film is a tribute to the human spirit. -Chris Metzler

CAMINO

Photojournalist Avery Taggert (stunt superstar now legit action star Zoe Bell) treks into the remotest regions of Colombia to cover a militant missionary bringing hope to the poor. Snapping a candid shot of something she wasn’t supposed to see, Taggert flees for her life, as her former guides pursue her relentlessly through the jungle. Featuring Time Crimes and Open Windows director Nacho Vigalondo chewing scenery as its charismatic and psychopathic villain, Camino is an adrenaline ride of awesome. -Bears Fonte

CHANGING SEASON: ON THE MASUMOTO FAMILY FARM

Changing Season chronicles a transitional year-in-the-life of famed farmer, slow food advocate, and sansei, David “Mas” Masumoto, and his compelling relationship with daughter Nikiko, who returns to the family farm with the intention of stepping into her father’s work boots. Mas’ hopes and hesitations for the future are shored up with his daughter’s return, even as the family navigates other struggles. The film is interspliced with moments of Nikiko’s razor sharp meditations on her family’s internment during WWII and her role as a queer, progressive farmer in the Central Valley. -Chris Metzler

CHUCK NORRIS VS COMMUNISM

In the 1980s, Romanians suffered from little access to foreign goods as well as an information blackout the Communist bureaucrats used to ensure ideological purity. But in clandestine screenings at neighbors’ homes of smuggled VHS tapes dubbed by a one-man distribution network, people got a glimpse of the Western world and a culture of muscular individuality with heroes like Jean-Claude Van Damme, Sylvester Stallone, and, of course, Chuck Norris. This is a story of the unexpected consequences of mass entertainment and the idea that the greatest threat to the dictatorship might just have been the VCR. -Chris Metzler

DEAD HANDS DIG DEEP

From the isolation of his secluded desert compound in Southern California, Edwin Borsheim, eccentric founder of the long forgotten shock metal band Kettle Cadaver, ruminates on a life of violence, mayhem and personal destruction lived on the absolute edge of the known musical universe. This is anything but your typical music doc of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. -Chris Metzler

DIAMOND TONGUES

Leah Goldstein gives a bravura performance in Diamond Tongues playing Edith Welland a struggling actress who dreams of great success. Faced with continual rejection she starts to unravel when she discovers her non-acting ex-boyfriend has landed a leading role in an indie film. Filled with envy and contempt she is unable to take everything going wrong for her so she starts to actually make things go wrong for everyone else. We don’t know whether to love her or hate her. -Jeff M. Giordano

DIRECTOR’S COMMENTARY: THE TERROR OF FRANKENSTEIN

A long-forgotten horror film somehow makes it into your DVD player. For some reason, you click on the commentary track. As the director and writer discuss the images on the screen, it becomes apparent that the horror behind the camera was far more disturbing than what they filmed. An exercise in brilliant meta-commentary, this is like Mystery Science Theater done by Hannibal Lecter. Featuring Barry Lyndon star Leon Vitali as himself, and Frankenstein in the actual Terror of Frankenstein. -Bears Fonte

FRAME BY FRAME

When the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, taking a photo was a crime. After the regime fell from power a fledgling free press emerged and a photography revolution was born. Now, as foreign troops and media withdraw, Afghanistan is left to stand on its own and so are its journalists. Set in a modern Afghanistan bursting with color and character, Frame By Frame follows four Afghan photojournalists navigating a dangerous media landscape as they reframe Afghanistan for the world, and for themselves. -Chris Metzler

FRANK AND CINDY

G.J.’s mother Cindy (Rene Russo), was the ultimate groupie of one-hit wonder 80’s new wave band OXO, and married G.J.’s stepfather Frank (Oliver Platt) with dreams of glamor and awards shows. It didn’t quite work out. Meanwhile, G.J. is getting ready to head off to film school, only to find his parents have blown his inheritance on a basement studio for his out-of-work drunk stepfather. Both Frank and Cindy swear this time they will change for sure, and G.J. turns a camera on them to catch their empty promise. A narrative version of his This American Life-featured documentary, director Echternkamp mines his own family’s imperfections for a touching and hilarious story of failure and denial. -Bears Fonte

After the film, please join us right down the street for DJ Shindog’s one hit wonder 80s/90s dance mix, open bar and some special surprises!

HARUKO’S PARANORMAL LABORATORY

All her life, quirky Haruko has longed for a "real paranormal phenomenon." Bullied by others as an outsider, she vents her frustration by shouting at her television… until her television shouts back. Turning into a humanoid tele-man, the old analog set becomes Haruko’s friend, then lover, then star of his own television show. A bizarre satire on television-obsessed culture, Takeba’s anything-goes film plays in a Neo-Dada sandbox with the Pop Art toys of Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns. -Bears Fonte